Heart Goes Boom
by Hitokun
Summary: Something important of Ritsu's goes missing and it sends Mio's world into chaos. A mysterious new figure shows up and steals Mio away. Will Ritsu be overcome with jealousy and take this chance to confess her feelings? And will Ui ever wear a maid outfit?
1. Chapter 1

**Part 1**

* * *

-------------

Tainaka Ritsu had lost her hair band. She had searched every nook and cranny in her house, through her closet, under her bed, in her brother's drawers and even in the bathrooms. Her trademark hair accessory was nowhere to be found. It was a nightmare, a catastrophe.

The end of the world.

"I still can't find it!" Ritsu burst into her brother's room again, nearly ripping the door off its hinges.

The young boy stared at his sister, annoyed at the fact that she had barged into his room for the fourth time this morning. "Nee-chan...Is it really that important to wear it?"

"Of course! Otherwise, I'll look weird without it!" The panicked girl grabbed tufts of her hair in her hands, dropping to her knees as she screamed in anguish.

"We're gonna be late for school if you don't hurry." He finished packing up his schoolbag as he stood up to leave the room, ignoring the wriggling mass of Ritsu rolling around on the floor.

"Wait! I thought you were going to help meee!" She grabbed at her brother's legs, begging him not to leave, but he swiftly kicked away her hands and dashed down the stairs, rolling his eyes.

Sitting on the floor, Ritsu hung her head dejectedly. Then, her face turned a bright red as she suddenly remembered something. "I...think of how your parted hair fits you so well..." She whispered to herself, falling backwards on the floor as a rush of thoughts filled her mind. The hot blush grew deeper as more lines came to her. "But I want to see how you look with your bangs down..." Rolling onto her side, Ritsu let out a frustrated growl, pulling her hair.

"RITSU! What are you doing up there? Your brother's already gone!"

The yell came from downstairs and Ritsu hastily picked herself up, rushing to her room as she gave her reply. "I'm coming! Just go to work already!" Scrambling to fit her books into her bag, Ritsu paused as she saw the creased piece of paper sitting on her table. Without a second thought, she zipped up her bag, snatching up the folded up letter and stuffed it into her pocket.

* * *

"Oha-yo~" Ritsu flashed her friends a cheeky smile as she entered the classroom. Instead of a greeting, she was met with two pairs of wide eyed stares. "Uhh...Something on my face...?"

Yui stared at the girl blankly, pointing a finger quite rudely at Ritsu. "Who are you?"

"You serious...?" The drummer's jaw dropped, her eye twitching. She looked over at Mugi expectantly.

Laughing sheepishly under Ritsu's intense stare, the blonde replied in her ojou-sama like politeness. "Umm...I'm sorry, but have we met before?"

"So all that time we spent together was nothing!? How can you not recognize me!?" Ritsu slammed her hands on the desk, her voice dripped with desperation.

Mugi gasped. "Could it be...?" Her eyes lit up and a wide smile spread across her face.

"Yes??" Again, Ritsu looked at the rich girl, her heart full of high hopes.

"Anna-chan!"

"Wrong!" Ritsu pouted, crossing her arms as she let out a huff of anger. "It's Ritsu. Ri-tsu. Riiii-tsu. Do I need to write it out for you?"

"Ah! Ricchan!" Yui finally got the picture as she stretched out a hand, pulling back Ritsu's front bangs.

With that, Mugi recognized her as well. "Ohh!"

"Tada!" Yui let go of Ritsu's bangs and pointed. "Stranger!" Pulling up the girl's bangs again, she did a makeshift drumroll, pointing once again. "Ricchan!"

Sitting at her desk, Mugi clapped at Yui's impromptu magic show.

"What...Are you guys in elementary school?" Ritsu sighed and set her bag down on her desk, taking a seat.

"But, but Ricchan, you look really different with your bangs down! They're really long, but they make you look kinda cool." Yui smiled in her blissfully ignorant and completely honest way.

"That's right! You almost look like one of those famous rock stars with your intentionally messy hairstyle!" Mugi commented innocently, turning to Yui as they discussed who Ritsu reminded them of.

"I'm glad you guys think so, but I really have to get a new hair band. I just don't feel like Ritsu without it." Slumping down in her chair, the brunette let out a long sigh.

"Okay, quiet down everyone! Class is starting!" The teacher walked through the door, calling to order the start of the school day as the students scrambled to their seats. "Today-" She began, but suddenly stopped as she spotted Ritsu.

"H-hai, sensei?" Ritsu cowered under the glare she received.

"Excuse me, but are you in my class? If you aren't, I'm afraid you'll have to return to your proper classroom." The tall woman pushed up her glasses with one finger, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm Tainaka Ritsu..." Ritsu could feel the stares on her now, the whispers floating around viciously.

"You're Tainaka?" The teacher stared at her sceptically, her classmates around her doing the same.

"Tada! Ricchan!" Yui jumped in and pulled up Ritsu's bangs, and a sudden wave of recognition swept through the classroom.

"Wow. That scared me. I almost thought you were one of those delinquent transfer students!" The bespectacled woman let out a hearty laugh, some of her students joining in as well. However, amidst the laughter, Ritsu could hear some girls talking in a not very quiet voice.

"Ne, ne...I never knew Tainaka-san could look so look so much like a yankee!"

"Well, with the hair it's no surprise. She doesn't tuck in her shirt either."

"But I still think she looks better with her hair down. Kinda cool, don't you think?"

Sighing for the umpteenth time that morning, Ritsu gave up trying to make sense of the situation. Everyone was entitled to their own opinion anyway. Not like they could make a difference in her life, right? The only opinion that mattered wasn't here.

"Okay, settle down. We have a lot of work to do about our play for the winter festival." The teacher called up the class rep as she took a seat at her desk, leaving the hassle to the trusty iincho-san.

"Thank you, sensei." The prim and proper student nodded at the teacher, turning to address her fellow classmates. "Okay, so for our play, are we sure we want to do Wuthering Heights?"

"Haaaai~" A collective agreement rang out from the girls, small conversations sprouting up here and there.

"There are lots of male roles...and the drama club has the stage booked for like three weeks..."

"We can just hold class productions right here!"

"Yeah! And we could set up a cafe for the audience!"

"That's a good idea. We can have all the non-actors be the waitresses!"

Ideas burst out from each and every corner of the room, the classroom erupting into a mix of conversations.

"H-hey, hey! Don't get ahead of yourselves here! We still need actors for the play and costumes...setting...and I think a cafe's pretty hard to do on top of all this..." The class rep was getting a migraine, wishing the teacher would come and help her or something.

"I vote Tainaka-san to be Heathcliff-sama!" A hand shot up as a student caught the class' attention.

"W-wait, what!? Heathcliff's the main guy isn't he? Why do I have to do it!?" Ritsu stood up abruptly, her eyes pleading with the iincho desperately.

"Hmm..." The class rep sent a scrutinizing stare at Ritsu, contemplating for a moment. "How many people vote for Tainaka Ritsu to be Heathcliff?"

At that, a sea of hands shot up and Ritsu's face paled. Her day just couldn't get any worse.

"Okay. Then it's settled. Tainaka-san's going to be our Heathcliff. Any ideas on Catherine?"

"I think Kotobuki-san should be Catherine! She has such an oujo-sama air to her!" The girl squealed and the whole class erupted into laughter.

Writing down the ideas on the board, the class rep looked over at Mugi. "Kotobuki-san, are you alright with that?"

Mugi was all smiles, nodding enthusiastically. She smiled serenely to herself, content with the situation in the classroom. Being at an all girl's school really was nice.

* * *

At lunchtime, Tainaka Ritsu was the new fad in class 2-B. Girls were crowded around her desk, shooting non-stop questions at the girl. Ritsu searched for a way out, but all around her, she could only see uniform clad bodies blocking her way.

"Ritsu-san, you play in a band don't you? Are you guys going to perform again?"

"Are you good friends with that bassist who flashed her panties last year?"

"Why the sudden change in hairstyle!"

"Do you use gel?"

"Do you have a boyfriend, Tainaka-san!?"

"I can't wait to see you as Heathcliff-sama~"

The voices started to overlap, becoming jumbled as they filled Ritsu's head. "Uhh...I don't know, yes, I don't know and no. Uhh...Aghh! Mugi, Yui! Save meee!"

"Ne, Mugi-chan. Who makes your bentos?" Yui stole a chunk of omelette from the girl's lunchbox, lighting up as she chomped away on it. "Ahh~ Umai!"

"My maid makes my lunch every morning. She always prepares a full course meal, but I keep telling her that I don't have time at lunch to finish all that! Funny, isn't it?" Mugi giggled to herself, leaving Yui gaping.

"Huh...Maid...Ui makes my lunch...so is Ui my maid?" Yui pondered the connection, wondering if Ui would ever wear a maid outfit.

_"Welcome home, Onee-sama!" _

Yui drifted off as her mind was preoccupied with a meido-fuku clad sister of hers.

"Ahhh! I can't stand it anymore!" Ritsu stood up abruptly, pushing through the crowd as she dashed out of the room.

"Ricchan!" Yui was shocked at the drummer's hasty exit, looking about at the disappointed girls in the room. "Maybe I should go after her..." The guitarist thought hard, peering out the open door and glancing back at Mugi's bento, which was still pretty full...

"I'm sure Ritsu just needs a little bit of time to herself." Mugi smiled her unwavering smile, giggling to herself.

Her eyes still glued onto Mugi's bento, Yui made her decision. "Ne, Mugi, are you still hungry...?"

* * *

"Ah mou!" Ritsu stood in front of the mirror in the girl's change room, scrubbing at her dress shirt with a wet paper towel. "Stupid people with hot coffee not watching where they're going..." She muttered under her breath, her brows furrowed. Thanks to some careless person, there was an ugly brown stain down the front of her shirt and her skirt. Not to mention the fact that it was soaking wet and made her smell like coffee.

Letting out a sigh of frustration, Ritsu threw her blazer onto the bench. She walked over to her locker, turning the dial on her lock as she opened the door with a creak. Luckily, her jersey was in there, so she had something to wear home. Sighing again, the drummer pulled off her tie, unbuttoning her shirt as she slipped her arms through her jersey. Stepping out of her skirt, she hurriedly pulled the track pants on, wincing as the cool air brushed against the slight burns on her thighs.

"Today's just been horrible..." The brunette pouted, folding up her clothes neatly as she made her way out of the change room. "I better get a new hair band after school today. Without it, I'm getting all the bad luck..."

* * *

"Gomen!" Ritsu bowed to Yui and Mugi as she apologized. "I really can't stand another minute without my hairband! I've got to go to Shibuya or something to buy a new one." The drummer laughed nervously, scratching her head sheepishly.

"Aww it's okay Ricchan, but it'll be boring without you or Mio-chan." Yui pouted, rocking back and forth on her heels as she watched Ritsu change her shoes.

"Mio's not going to club today either? Why's that?" Ritsu slipped her jacket on, doing the buttons up as she wrapped her muffler around her.

"I think Mio-chan has to do some errands for her mother today. She came by at lunch to tell us, but you weren't there." Mugi blinked, looking to the side as various thoughts ran through her mind. Ritsu blinked at that too, wondering whether she should feel relieved or disappointed.

"Oh...is that right...? Well, if you see Mio tomorrow then, don't tell her I skipped! I'm sure she'll yell at me for being lazy or something." Ritsu rolled her eyes, waving as the girls said their goodbyes.

"Gah...It's so cold!" The brunette jogged out into the school courtyard, shivering as she clutched her long coat against herself. A cold breeze blew past and she could feel the wind go through her track pants. It wasn't much better than wearing a skirt, but she would choose pants over skirts any day.

Walking down the street, Ritsu froze in her tracks as she recognized a familiar figure walking just meters ahead of her. She had silky black hair, a fuzzy blue muffler and long slender legs. It was unmistakeably Akiyama Mio, their expert bassist, the Dangerous Queen. Ritsu snickered quietly at that, applauding her genius at coming up with that name.

"R-Ritsu?"

At the sound of Mio's voice, Ritsu panicked and darted off to the side, diving behind a bush. She just couldn't Mio see her like this, without her headband.

Mio had turned around, staring at the road behind her, her brows furrowed in confusion. "I swear I heard Ritsu's stupid laugh just now...Maybe I'm hearing things..." The bassist shrugged it off, continuing down the sidewalk.

Watching from behind the shrubs, Ritsu waited until Mio rounded the corner before she determined that the coast was clear. "Guh...what was that? I so do not sound stupid..." She rubbed her elbow, wincing at the swelling that was surfacing from that crazy dive.

Shoving her hands in her pocket, Ritsu scoffed, turning around to find another route to the station. She just couldn't risk being seen by Mio again. Feeling the heat rise to her cheeks, Ritsu knew that she would just die if Mio saw her like this.

* * *

"Thank you!" Mio flashed a smile to the store owner as she walked out, her hands full with heavy grocery bags. She flexed her fingers, wincing at the cold that seeped through her mittens. Pausing on the sidewalk, the bassist looked up at the dark sky, wondering why winter had to make the sun set at 4:30 and why it had to be so cold.

Shivering, Mio shrunk down, burying her nose in her muffler. She passed by the stores on the side of the road, the warm lights looked so inviting. Suddenly, something caught her attention. Mio stopped and stared at the person buying a box of steaming takoyaki. It was a slim figure in a long grey jacket, a very familiar grey jacket. Looking again, she was certain that Ritsu had a jacket just like that. However, as the person turned, Mio could feel her cheeks flush with a light embarrassment.

She hurriedly rushed past, her pulse suddenly racing. Tearing her eyes away, Mio scoffed, laughing at her own reaction. She was acting like an airhead schoolgirl drooling over some pretty boy. A guy with really cool hair... "W-What am I saying..." Mio shook her head, trying to dispel the thoughts, but she stole another backwards glance. She didn't know what it was about the guy, but his messy hair framed his slender face so well, making her heart thump against her ribcage in way she only ever felt once.

If she wasn't such a cynic, she could've sworn it was love at first sight.

* * *

**A/N**: This is my first K-ON fanfiction :D Not sure about characterization, but if you want me to continue this, please leave a review! Thanks for reading~


	2. Chapter 2

**Part2**

* * *

"Yo! Mio!"

Ritsu grinned cheekily as she burst through the club room. She expected Mio to be set up, playing a nice warm-up on her bass, but the room was silent. The bassist in question was seated by the window, a dreamy expression painted on her face, her eyes closed. Her head rested in her arms propped up on the window sill. Ritsu swallowed hard, wanting to break the peace, but something about the picturesque scene just stopped her in her tracks. She couldn't help but notice the tranquility on the other girl's face, how beautiful she looked.

Without thinking, Ritsu moved silently towards the girl, trying to make her footsteps as inaudible as possible. She could feel her heart starting to pound hard against her chest, her breathing getting shallow. It was inexplicable, but had the urge to do something stupid.

Standing beside the still Mio, Ritsu leaned in, brushing her lips against the girl's ear as she whispered her name, "Mio..."

With a start, Mio's eyes snapped open and she sat up suddenly, slamming hard into Ritsu who stood behind her.

"Gah!" Ritsu stumbled backwards, clutching her nose gingerly as tears welled in her eyes.

"Ritsu! What are you doing here?" The bassist was a little flushed, her cheeks red and her hair slightly dishevelled. "You scared me half to death, you know!"

"Ahaha...my bad..." Ritsu laughed sheepishly, scratching her head as she looked down shamefully. Her cheeks were red with embarrassment, and she mentally chided herself for doing such strange things. She focused her eyes on the ground, not wanting to let Mio see the expression on her face. She sniffled, feeling something trickle from her nose. Ritsu swore under her breath, hoping that she wasn't crying or anything now. "I just thought you were asleep or something, since you didn't notice me coming in..."

"I-I kinda was...but that's no reason for you to-" Mio paused for a minute, her eyes widening slightly as Ritsu looked up. "B-b-b-blood! R-Ritsu!" She pointed with a trembling hand, the color draining from her face.

Bringing up a hand, Ritsu felt the sticky fluid dripping from her nose. "Oh." She stared at the dark red for a minute, slightly shocked as it flowed thickly through her fingers.

"Mou! Don't just stand there, you idiot!" Rummaging through her pockets, Mio fished out a blue and white stripped handkerchief, crossing the distance between them as she pressed the fabric to Ritsu's nose.

Looking away, Mio held the fabric there, leading Ritsu over to the couch as she sat the girl down. "Hold it there, o-okay? I-I'm going to go get some ice..." Mio stood, taking only a few steps before a hand shot out and stopped her in her tracks.

"I-It's okay! The bleeding'll stop soon, so just...stay here? There's no reason to get ice anyway...it's not like I'm gonna use it or anything..." Ritsu tried to laugh off her embarrassment, but it just seemed forced now, her cocky attitude gone.

Sitting down, Mio looked away from Ritsu, the sight of the blood making her queasy. "I-I'm sorry about hitting you so hard...You caught me off guard."

"Haha..iya, iya. Don't worry, Mio! It's not like I'm dying or anything." The drummer clamped a hand down on the bassist's shoulder, patting her on the back.

Looking over, Mio paled at the sight of Ritsu's bloodied fingers curled around her school blazer. "Y-you should go wash up! Your blood's going to get everywhere!" The girl winced, her voice raising an octave as she shied away from Ritsu.

"Aww. It's just a little blood, Mio-chan! It's not gonna hurt you. And I think the bleeding's already stopped now!" Alleviating the pressure on her nose, Ritsu took the handkerchief away, but fresh blood gushed forward, spilling out.

"Kyaaah!" Mio sprung up, bolting out of the room as she yelled back." I-I'm going to go get some more tissue!"

Her hands bloodied and sticky, Ritsu sat there, clutching the now red handkerchief to her face. The coppery stench filled the room and it made her head spin.

* * *

Mio sat stock still, not sure where to rest her hands.

"Mio...you look kinda uncomfortable there." Ritsu turned on her side, adjusting her head on Mio's lap as she looked up. Her nostrils were plugged up with tissue rolls, the blood starting to clot.

"W-why am I doing this again?" Mio was torn between anger and embarrassment. Even if it was Ritsu, this position was a bit too lovey-dovey. Every shoujo manga she read had this scene in it…

"Well, it was your fault that I'm bleeding to death here. And there are no pillows in the room, so your lap was the next best thing." Ritsu smiled to herself, grinning maniacally.

"I-I'm being n-nice to you just this once!" Mio's cheeks were bright red and her arms were starting to get numb, so she rested one on her lap and the other on Ritsu's stomach.

"Hehe...Mio's so nice...nice and soft!" Ritsu grinned widely, chuckling to herself.

"Mou, Ritsu..." The bassist pouted, turning away as her cheeks continued to burn brightly.

There was a long silence in the room as Ritsu lounged away on Mio's lap. The room was quiet save for the telltale chatter of conversation drifting in from the hallways. The drummer looked up at her human cushion, contemplating the spacey look Mio had on her face. It was rather rare to see the serious bassist daydreaming, since that was Yui's job. However, Ritsu had to admit that Mio looked much more dignified while spacing out. Her beautiful blue eyes seemed to glitter in the sunlight, capturing Ritsu's undivided attention.

Suddenly, a small voice punctuated the silence.

"Ne, Ritsu...do you believe in...love at first sight?" Still staring off into space, Mio sounded distant as she posed her question.

"What's with you all of a sudden? Are you in looooove with someone?" Sitting up, Ritsu taunted Mio with her singsong tone. However, deep inside, the drummer felt a strange tightness in her chest as she interrogated her friend.

Giving Ritsu a light jab on the shoulder, Mio shook her head as she sighed. "I'm being serious here, Ritsu. Do you think it's stupid t-to...like someone just because of how they look?" The bassist felt rather shallow as she voiced her concerns.

It was a rare occasion, but Ritsu took Mio's question seriously. She wracked her head for ideas on what to say, but for some reason, it was harder than usual to concentrate. The idea that Mio…her childhood friend, Mio, had a crush was…not sitting well with Ritsu.

Feeling an awkward tension arise, Mio felt stupid for bringing up such a weird question. "N-Never mind! Don't answer that. I don't know why I asked in the first place." She looked down, her cheeks reddening a little.

"Well."

Mio looked up.

"It's not a bad thing…it's pretty normal actually since physical attraction is important in a relationship." Ritsu furrowed her brows as she looked for the right wording.

The bassist blinked quizzically, surprised at the seriousness with which the other girl answered. There were no jokes, no puns, no teasing. _'Wow.'_ Mio thought. _'Ritsu can be serious sometimes too, hm?'_

"A-Ahaha…T-That's just what I think though!" Noticing the weird silence in the room, Ritsu tried to laugh it off.

Wordlessly, Mio agreed, contemplating something.

"S-So! W-Why don't we get going now?" Ritsu grabbed her bag and her jacket.

"What? Why? Weren't we going to practice today?" Mio was confused, wondering if Ritsu was just looking for an excuse to be lazy again.

"Mugi and Yui and even Azusa are really busy today for some reason, so it's just the two of us." Ritsu looked away, fidgeting with her hair as she said this. She felt uncharacteristically on edge with Mio today.

"Oh…" Mio thought for a second before she started packing her bag. She had a contemplative look on her face as she thought hard. "Then what should we do today?"

Ritsu chuckled as she jumped up excitedly. "Then!" The drummer made an exaggerated gesture as she pointed grandiosely towards the door. "We have no other choice than to abandon practice!"

Mio sighed. She didn't want to admit it, but Ritsu was right. There was no point in practicing with just the two of them. "Well…okay…I guess we should get going, right? Has the bleeding stopped yet?" Mio gestured to Ritsu's nose, concern filled her voice.

Ritsu nodded. She just wanted to go home and sort out that uncomfortable pressure she felt in her chest. It was suffocating and painful. There wasn't any time to waste. Not even a nosebleed could stop her from going home. "Let's go!"Every second she was with her best friend, the more and more she felt that agitation.

"Okay. I _did_ want to practice a little bit today but..." Mio paused. She was hesitantly packing her bags. "You know…there is this new cake shop I wanted to try out…" The girl trailed off, hoping that Ritsu would understand what she was implying.

Pausing for a second, Ritsu cocked en eyebrow in disbelief. Mio always headed straight home if there wasn't club. "You mean…you want to go today?"

Shyly, Mio shuffled her feet, looking at the floorboards. She had a small smile on her face as she thought about those cakes she saw in the window the other day. "Winter break is coming up soon…and they _are_ having their opening special this week…"

Ritsu swallowed hard, feeling her breathing deepen as she couldn't stand how incredibly cute Mio could be. The Dangerous Queen was more dangerous than she knew. She was absolutely adorable today, her slightly flushed cheeks bringing out the brilliant blue in her eyes. "Uhhh…"

Mio looked up, pouting slightly as she pulled a puppy dog face on the drummer. "We can't…?"

"O-of course we can!" Ritsu instinctively blurted that out, her eye twitching slightly. She could never refuse that face no matter how hard she tried.

"Then it's settled!" Mio beamed as she pulled on her jacket and hefted her bag and her bass onto her shoulders. "You skipped practice last time, so you're buying, Ritsu!" The bassist was ecstatic as she pulled her unwilling friend out the door. Little did she know that the brunette was preoccupied with more than just the thought of the bill she had to pay.

* * *

"I heard you got the leading role in your class play." Mio commented offhandedly as she took a dainty bite out of her strawberry cheesecake. She slowly savoured the rich creamy cake, the sweetness of the strawberry compote sending her to a state of absolute bliss. She smiled to herself, scooping up another bite with her fork.

Sitting across from Mio, Ritsu absently pushed her piece of cake around on her plate, lacking an appetite for sweets at the moment

"Ritsu? Are you okay? You've been acting kinda weird today."

"Huh? Oh. Sorry, what were you saying? I wasn't paying attention." Ritsu scratched her head sheepishly. Was she being too obvious?

"Does it not taste good?" Mio eyed the piece of cake being neglected and abused on Ritsu's plate; cream slathered all over it.

"Of course it tastes good! I just had a big lunch." Ritsu laughed it off, putting a bite in her mouth as if it prove that it wasn't the cake's fault. It wasn't like it didn't taste good, but her mind was focused on Mio's words from before. Ritsu couldn't stand the thought of Mio liking a guy. What if everything worked out? What if they started dating? Then…then…

"Okay…whatever you say…." Mio was still sceptical, but Ritsu obviously didn't want to talk about it. "So, as I was saying earlier…you got the main role in your class play? It's too bad we're not in the same class this year, but I don't want to be kept out of the loop."

Ritsu caught the question this time. "Yeah. I did. I'm Heathcliff and Mugi's playing Catherine."

"Oh. Wuthering Heights, right?" Mio was stunned for a moment, wondering why Ritsu was so willing to play the lead male role. She knew the drummer wasn't one for those tedious jobs. "I'm going to come see it for sure, so you better practice your lines." She smiled softly, knowing that Ritsu would need the support.

"Don't worry. I will." Ritsu put another forkful of sweet confectionery in her mouth as she replied; her head in the clouds and a certain question floating around in her mind.

A brief silence fell over the two and the air was full of chatter from the other customers, music from the radio and the clink of the two girls' forks against their plates.

"Ano-"

"Ne-"

The two looked up at the same time, pausing when they realized the other was about to speak.

Mio chuckled a bit to herself. "Sorry, you go first."

Ritsu bit her lip, wondering if she should ask. "Umm…"

"What is it?" Mio rarely saw Ritsu so nervous and she was sure that something was bothering the usually happy-go-lucky drummer.

Mio had her mouth wide open, her fork held up to her lips, a piece of cake sitting on it. She was just about to devour the morsel when Ritsu decided to ask her question.

"Do you have…someone you like?"

Creamy cheesecake met Mio's left cheek as the bassist completely missed her target. The remnants of the piece fell back onto her plate. Her face was starting to redden with embarrassment. "W-What do you mean?"

Ritsu was starting to feel a bit aggressive, getting a little angry at Mio's confusion. "Well, you were talking about love at first sight and stuff in the clubroom…" She went back to pushing her cake around while she stared down the bassist boldly.

"T-That was just something I was working on…more song lyrics." Mio look ashamed as she picked up her napkin, trying to clean the wasted cake off her cheek. She knew the others made fun of her girly lyrics, but if she wasn't going to come up with lyrics, who was?

Ritsu could feel her agitation building. She feigned playfulness as she forced a smile. "C'mon Mio-chan, you can tell me the truth. I'm your best friend, aren't I?"

Mio looked like she was about to die from embarrassment. She wasn't lying, but Ritsu was right. There was a little more to it. "N-No, no…it's nothing really. I-Ijust saw this really cool guy on the street the other day and I thought his hair was…cool." Mio twirled a lock of her ebony hair around her finger absently as she answered. Shyly, she looked over, meeting Ritsu's eyes. "That guy…actually reminded me of you, Ritsu."

Ritsu blinked, feeling strange. All that jealousy and anger became mixed with embarrassment and butterflies in her stomach. "Umm, I'm not sure whether I should feel insulted or not?" She laughed sheepishly, feeling her cheeks color a bright pink.

"Reminded me of when you don't wear your headband… " Mio paused, looking closely at Ritsu for a second. "You know, I haven't seen you with your hair down for a while. When was the last time?" Mio contemplated that as she twirled her fork around her fingers.

Ritsu remembered very clearly. "I think it was a couple of months ago when you came over to my house in the morning and I forgot we had school." An automatic smile spread across Ritsu's face as she remembered it as the day where she and Mio both completely missed homeroom.

Mio laughed as she recalled it in her own way, wincing at the memory of the day where she got more than enough of her daily exercise. "You came to the door in your pyjamas and your hair all over the place." She shook her head, a smile on her lips as she felt the imaginary ache in her legs. "Geez, I don't remember ever running that much in one day! You dragged me along so far. I thought I was going to pass out!"

"I know, ms. I-never-do-any-exercise." Ritsu smirked at the thought of Mio running, her skirt fluttering, her long legs exposed, her more than abundant chest boun- The drummer caught herself. She felt the heat go to her face as she realized she was thinking of Mio in such a way.

"Well, I am a little busy with school and practice and actually doing my homework." Mio rolled her eyes, finishing up her slice of cake.

"W-Whatever, Mio…" Ritsu stuck out her tongue playfully. "I'm just glad I didn't miss that math test I had first period."

Mio grinned. "I had to help you on the phone for hours for that day ."

"S-Stupid Mio!" Ritsu finished gobbling up her half-eaten piece of cake to hide her embarrassment.

The two continued to chat over their empty plates. The awkward atmosphere had dissipated and Ritsu had forgotten all about her jealousy for now.

* * *

**A/N:** Back temporarily from my hiatus. Here, have some useless filler :) Thanks to those who waited! Hope I won't disappoint too many of you.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3**

* * *

The lunch bell rang and students began filing out of the classroom. However, one girl was left behind, her twintails swaying slightly as she stood at her desk, scrutinizing a hand written note scrawled on a piece of paper. Her thoughts were interrupted when a voice rang out through the room.

"Azu-nyannn~!"

Azusa paled she recognized the voice of a certain upperclassman. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the impact, but nothing came. It was strange… Usually, the petite girl would be reeling from the assault of Yui's warm body against hers, wrapping her up in a hug that seemed to be a little too friendly. Azusa blushed as she recalled the butterfly feeling she would get when Yui hugged her like that…

Azusa's eyes suddenly snapped open, shock sinking in as she realized what she was thinking about. She cleared her throat slightly, red tinged her cheeks. She turned slowly and collected her thoughts she before facing the girl in front of her. "A-Ahem. W-What is it, Yui-sempai?" She tried not to let the disappointment show on her face, but she was certainly flustered enough for the airheaded guitarist to notice.

"Azu-nyan! Did you miss me? I saw you standing here by yourself and thought you looked lonely!" Yui smiled lopsidedly as she rocked back and forth on her heels and the sight of her genuine concern just made Azusa's heart flutter strangely.

"I-I was just a little slow in packing up my things. That's all." The black haired girl quickly piled her books together, her note lost between the pages of her homework.

"Oh, I see." Yui hummed happily as she just watched Azusa with piqued curiosity.

The younger girl could feel her sempai's stare trained fixedly on her and it was making her squirm a little more than usual. Today was a weird day and everything Azusa felt was slightly off kilter. "Was there…something you needed?" She turned to Yui, surprised to see those big eyes still staring at her.

"Weeeeeeeeeeell…I was just wondering if you could help me practice for the play that our class is hosting for the festival. I need someone to help me remember my parts... Would you be interested in starting your acting career early, Azu-nyan? We have costumes too! You can wear those cat ears you like so much!" Yui was grinning from ear to ear, looking at her underclassman expectantly.

Azusa completely disregarded the irrelevance between cat ears and the play, getting used to Yui's ridiculousness. She didn't have anything better to do anyway, so helping Yui out as usual didn't seem like such a bad idea. Azusa scoffed slightly as she smiled, her heart feeling a little bit lighter as thoughts of the wrinkled piece of paper in her books was pushed to the back of her mind.

* * *

"So, care to tell me why I'm spending my lunchtime here helping you run lines, Ritsu?" Mio had a bemused smirk on her face, setting her cup of tea down on the table before she walked over Ritsu who was sprawled on the floor of their clubroom with a pile of papers around her.

"Ahaha….I just realized that our class is practicing today and I haven't read up to act three yet…" Ritsu laughed sheepishly as she rummaged through her scattered mess of a script.

"So typical…" Mio sighed, shaking her head disapprovingly, but all the same, she crouched down, filtering through the papers with Ritsu as she gathered up the pages in the correct order.

"Thanks a lot, Mio. To be honest, I didn't really want to be the lead role in this play since I can't handle the pressure sometimes…but the class was so insistent on it. Oh. I didn't read the book, either, so that would be an extra thing for me to do." Ritsu sighed as she thought of the remnants of the play she still had to read.

Mio chuckled, thinking that that was just so typically Ritsu.

The two girls reached for the same page and Ritsu's fingers brushed up against Mio's. The drummer's touch lingered a second too long and she pulled away suddenly as she realized what she was doing. There was a lengthy silence between the two as they picked up the last of the scattered pages. The two girls stood and Ritsu mentally berated herself for letting her impulses get the best of her. Recently, it had been getting harder and harder for Ritsu to act…normal around Mio. It was just…

"S-So…I left off here last time." Ritsu cleared her throat, flipping through the pages as she tried to remember the scene she read last before falling asleep. Finally, she found it and she handed the appropriate pages to Mio. "You'll read these parts and…this one too." Ritsu pointed out the lines she instructed Mio to read, leaning slightly into the taller girl. Feeling conscious of the lack of distance between them and the overwhelming scent of Mio's shampoo, Ritsu stood back as she cleared her throat once again, trying to get into character.

As Ritsu read her lines, she felt her heart leap into her throat as a sense of free floating anxiety filled her for reasons unknown to her. She was alone with Mio. It wasn't an unfamiliar situation, but the brunette's heart pounded in her chest.

The minutes ticked on and Ritsu and Mio were getting into their roles. Mio dutifully read the lines given to her, feeling uneasy about how nervous Ritsu seemed. Since the moment they began, the bassist felt an increasing awkwardness from the way the drummer was acting. The play was a standard love story of a tragic hero, secretly a personal favorite of Mio's, but she never did tell that to Ritsu. Her favorite part was definitely the kiss scene where Heathcliff and Catherine- The bassist paused for a second and a sense of realization dawned on her. Her cheeks coloured a bright red and she finally knew why the lines she heard from Ritsu's lips sounded so familiar.

Mio froze, the colour draining from her face. She felt extremely bothered as a thought popped up in her head. There must be a kiss scene in the play. Sure they were at an all girls' school, but they have had plays with full-blown romance scenes. Also, knowing that it was Mugi who took charge of scripting…

"R-Ritsu!"

The drummer looked up from her script, stopping mid-sentence. "I-Is there something wrong, Mio?" She blinked quizzically, taken aback by her friend's outburst.

Mio's cheeks were slightly reddened with embarrassment, her hands wrung together as she fidgeted nervously with her fingers. "Ano ne, Ritsu…" The bassist paused, wondering why she was getting so worked up about it.

"Yes, Mio?" Ritsu cocked an eyebrow.

"I-Is there a…k-kissing scene in the play?" Mio's face burst into flames of embarrassment as she turned her head away from Ritsu, coughing slightly to hide her embarrassment.

"Uhh…I…" Ritsu's head was spinning as she tried to fathom what Mio just asked her. Why did she want to know?

"I-I was just wondering, you know. Since you've never been in a romance play like this before…" Mio's tsundere nature shone through as she fumbled her way through to an explanation for her question.

"I…think so?" The words left Ritsu's mouth before she even realized it. She did remember the girls talking about it, but nothing was really confirmed.

"Oh, I see." Mio forced a smile before she turned and walked towards the table, picking up her forgotten teacup as she took a swig of cold tea. Her eyes were wide open in shock, a thick feeling tightening in her chest. She didn't want Ritsu to see how rattled she was by this because honestly, Mio herself didn't even know why this bothered her to no end.

"T-then you're…you and Mugi…" The bassist couldn't finish her sentence. Her head was myriad of feelings.

"I-I don't know…I guess so?" Ritsu was beginning to feel the tension in the room and everything felt almost surreal.

There was a long pause yet again as the two girls stood there, meters apart. Mio at the table, still turned away from Ritsu and the drummer standing by the couch, fidgeting uncomfortably with her script.

"Haha...Then I'll come watch your play for sure! Since I don't know how a girl like you who's never kissed anyone before could pull off a romantic scene like that." Mio laughed nervously, putting her cup down as she turned abruptly back to Ritsu, trying to dispel the awkwardness hanging thickly in the air. She closed the distance between them quickly, stopping an arm's length away from the shorter girl. She tried to tease the brunette like she normally would, but it just came out half-heartedly.

"W-Whatever. It's not like you have either…" Ritsu furrowed her brows as she stared at her feet. What was with Mio these days? It was that love at first sight stuff from yesterday that started this kind of thing. Now, she was acting all strange. It made Ritsu question whether Mio lied to her about liking someone or not. She just seemed overly interested in these romantic affairs lately. Ritsu's mood darkened at the thought, her heart heavy.

"W-Who says that I've never kissed anyone before?" Mio crossed her arms, feeling annoyed that Ritsu would just automatically assume that. The condescending tone Ritsu took wasn't necessary either.

That statement hit a nerve in the drummer and she was suddenly just as irked as Mio was. Mio kissing someone? Just imagining that, Ritsu could feel her blood boil. "Ha! You? Kissing someone? A girl like you would never be able to gather up the courage to ask someone out in the first place anyway!" The brunette sneered, malice laced her words, all trace of playfulness dissipated with her self-control.

Mio was seriously getting angry now. Ritsu wasn't being herself, but neither was she. It was inexplicable but her best friend was making her feel very unlike herself.

"Who says that kissing and dating are related! Y-You obviously don't have any problems with kissing M-Mugi…and it's not like you're going to be going out with her after the play…" Mio was trying to rationalize things without much success. The retort sounded much better in her head.

"T-That makes no sense. Mugi's a girl anyway…two girls can't go out with each other." Ritsu's heart felt unbearably tight at the sound of her own words and she was beginning to understand why Mio made her feel the way she did.

"It doesn't matter! That's completely not the point I was try to get across…It's just-Whatever. Kissing someone is no big deal." Mio gathered up her copy of the script and thrust it back at Ritsu. She stormed over to the table again as she packed up her things.

"Then…you could kiss anyone, right? If it's not that big of a deal." Ritsu's voice was small as she looked at the two scripts in her hands.

Mio stopped her actions for a second, furrowing her brows. "Not just anyone." The bassist wasn't that angry anymore, just incredible confused at the direction their conversation took.

"Then…" Ritsu bit her lip as the words she wanted to say dangled off the tip of her tongue. Her pulse was throbbing in her ears, her breathing coming in shallower intervals. It was now or never.

Mio turned at Ritsu's sudden silence, just in time as she locked gazes with Ritsu's smouldering honey-coloured eyes. The intense overwhelmed her. The bassist had never seen Ritsu look so determined, so…

"How about me? Would you…kiss me?"

Ritsu's words hung heavily in the long silence.

"I…" Mio could feel her ears burning up, her breath catching in her throat. She suddenly had a hard time breathing and the whole room seemed to spin.

"Since you're such an expert, Mio, I'm sure you could teach an amateur like me a couple of things…" Ritsu's voice was barely above a whisper, but she found herself walking towards the table where Mio was frozen like a statue.

"I-I didn't say that I was an expert, Ritsu." Mio averted her gaze, feeling the temperature rising under the drummer's stare. Her voice melted away into a whisper, her arrogance and anger earlier completely gone.

Ritsu swallowed hard, closing the distance between them. It was too late to turn back now.

Unconsciously, Mio backed away from the drummer's advances, trapped by the table behind her. "Ritsu…what are you…"

"So I guess you wouldn't kiss me then, right?" Ritsu sidled up to the black haired girl, their chests almost touching and the breath of her words tickling the side of Mio's sensitive neck. A light thud echoed through the room as Ritsu dropped the stack of papers in her hands, their previous task forgotten.

"You're…Ritsu…You're my best friend." Mio chanced a look at the drummer again and she caught a glimpse of what she thought was sadness that marred Ritsu's boyish good looks.

"Doesn't that mean that I should be entitled to more than other people?" Ritsu was bordering on desperation now, putting her arms out on either side of Mio's waist as she steadied her grasp on the table. She had Mio trapped beneath her and she finally understood why she wanted this so badly.

"B-but…kissing- it's something you do with someone you…someone you like." Mio found herself leaning into Ritsu slightly as she placed a hand on the shorter girl's arm, trying feebly to work her way out of the drummer's hold.

"You don't like me, Mio?" Ritsu asked with such earnestness, wondering if shoujo manga scenes like these really existed.

"I-I…of course I like you, Ritsu." Mio could feel that her cheeks were hot to the touch as she said that. She meant every word of it, but it seemed like the meaning wasn't quite the same as what it used to be.

"Then this…" Standing up slightly on her tiptoes, Ritsu leaned into the taller girl, their faces just inches apart. "…should be okay…" Trembling slightly, the drummer muttered a couple of last words before she pressed her lips to Mio's. It was at this moment that Ritsu finally knew for sure that she was head over heels in love with her childhood friend.

To Ritsu's surprise, Mio kissed her back gently, shyly. It was so like the bassist and Ritsu's head swam with the overwhelming scent of the other girl. The drummer could feel something tugging at her shirt and she felt Mio's wandering hands pull her closer.

The music room was quiet, the two girls leaning against the table were locked in gentle kiss. It seemed like forever that they stayed with their lips against each other's. When they finally parted for air, the tension seemed to have disappeared. In its place was something else though, something unfamiliar to the two friends.

Still just inches away from each other, Ritsu looked into Mio's semi-lidded eyes, her lips trembling. The drummer had the irresistible urge to kiss those supple lips again, but it wasn't like she really had permission the first time she did it.

"S-Sorry." Ritsu abruptly backed away, turning away from the bassist as she scratched her head sheepishly, not knowing what else to say.

"S-Stupid…T-That's…a little too late to say now." Mio stepped away from the table, going back to packing up her bag. Her hands were shaking and her heart was still pounding. She definitely couldn't say that she didn't enjoy it, but Ritsu would never know that.

"Haha…My bad…" Ritsu looked down at her feet, embarrassed that she had forced herself onto Mio like that, but feelings of guilt aside, it was her first kiss and Mio had kissed her back. It was wonderful and sweet and just like how she pictured it would be.

"You're stupid, Ritsu…" There wasn't a hint of hostility in Mio's words, just embarrassment and even a tinge of happiness in her voice if Ritsu wasn't mistaken.

"Ya know, Mio…You are a pretty good kisser. I never would've expected that from a girl who locked herself in her room for a week after tripping on stage and showing the entire school her panties." Ritsu got her playful edge back, smirking widely at the memory.

"S-shut up about that already!" Mio twirled around, throwing a jab that Ritsu nimbly dodged. "T-The bell's going to ring soon. We better finish our lunch before class starts again." Mio was back to her all-business demeanor as she hoisted her bag onto her shoulder.

"Hai, hai. Whatever you say, Akiyama-san." Ritsu saluted, feeling almost giddy as she licked her lips. She tasted peach, the flavor of lipbalm that Mio used today.

As Ritsu followed Mio out of the room with a messy pile of what was her play script in her hands, the bassist stopped suddenly and the shorter girl nearly ran into her.

"A-and!" Mio's face was rather flustered, the tips of her ears bright red. The demure girl had an almost angry expression on her face.

"A-and…?" Ritsu cowered, blinking in disbelief at the sudden change in attitude.

"I-I…" Mio backed away, becoming shy again. "I just want to let you know…" Her voice trailed off to a volume so soft that Ritsu had a hard time hearing.

"Sorry. I didn't catch that. What did you say, Mio?" Ritsu looked on in amusement as she witnessed the bassist struggling for the words once again.

"Stupid, Ritsu! I just wanted to say that I don't do that for just anyone! I-It's because it's you that it's okay, you dummy!" Mio was yelling now, but once she realized what she had just said aloud, her shyness worked its way back into her.

Grinning from ear to ear at the other girl's words, Ritsu laughed, taking Mio by the hand as she tugged the bassist along. "C'mon, you tsundere, let's get to eating our lunches before time's up!"

"H-hey, Ritsu! Slow down!" Mio laughed as Ritsu pulled her down the hall and down the stairs. They weren't allowed to run in the halls, but neither of them could care less as their laughter disappeared down the corridor.

Once the coast was clear, two figures appeared from behind a stack of chairs by the music room entrance. Yui and Azusa both had puzzled looks on their faces, wandering into the empty room.

"Ne, Azu-nyan…what was with that argument that Ricchan and Mio-chan had in the middle of their practice? I couldn't really hear most of it, but I think it had to do with kissing?" Yui had a thoughtful look on her face as she furrowed her brows in concentration.

The two of them had planned on using the music room to practice lines as well, but Mio and Ritsu were already there. Instead of interrupting them, the two guitarists decided to sit in and listen, but things turned south and it was hard to make out the heated argument through the thick wooden doors.

"I've never heard Ricchan so serious before. Have you, Azu-nyan?" Yui turned to the younger girl, but Azusa was deep in thought, her eyes glazing over.

Azusa's thought went back to the stupid note that she had shoved in her books. It confused her to no end and she couldn't help but think that Ritsu and Mio were probably going through something like that. She understood so well how that situation played out. She heard the silence, the awkwardness after and the lifting of the tension. Azusa might've been a year younger than them, but she knew that Mio and Ritsu were definitely-

"Azu-nyan?"

Yui's face was extremely close when Azusa came to, the older girl blinking questioningly as she always did with her big brown eyes.

"A-Ahh!" Azusa let out a small yell of surprise, jumping backwards as she wondered when Yui had snuck up on her like that. "Y-Yui sempai!"

"Are you okay? You spaced out there." Yui looked concerned as she stepped closer to Azusa.

The twintailed girl expected Yui to stop, but it wasn't until she pressed her forehead to Azusa's that the younger girl registered how close the brunette was.

"You seem really hot too. Are you sick, Azu-nyan?" Yui brushed Azusa's bangs aside as she assessed the girl's temperature, but she didn't realize at all that she was the reason for Azusa's feverish like state.

"I-I'm fine! Let's just get to practicing before time runs out, okay?" Azusa dragged Yui over to the table, dumping their things on it unceremoniously as she cleared her throat authoritatively.

"Roger, Azu-nyan!" Obliviously, Yui went on with her proposed practice, fishing her lines out of her bag.

Fighting her blush, Azusa reconfirmed what she knew all along. Their light music club was full of oblivious and dense people.

* * *

**A/N:** Lol. I decided to upload something after so long. bursts of random inspiration here and there. Sorry for the ridiculous wait. Unfortunately, I am pretty rusty...Forgive me for that as well! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and hopefully, it wasn't too OOC. Thanks for reading! Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 4**

* * *

It was a week later and a week closer to the Winter Festival when Tainaka Ritsu felt like the world was ending.

Yet again.

It was just after her post-dinner bath when she found out that her trademark hair accessory was missing. It was the second time this month and it seemed like just yesterday and not three months ago that she had a whole stash of hair bands in her drawer. Shaking her head, the drummer couldn't believe her luck. There was no way that she could just misplace this kind of thing. There was only one explanation for this.

"Satoshi!" Ritsu bellowed as she raced up the stairs and barged into her little brother's room.

Her brother was sprawled on his bed reading manga, but even with the outburst, his attention was completely directed towards the book in his hands. By now, he was used to his sister's undeniable crazy.

"Satoshi, did you take my hair band?!" Ritsu stormed over to the bed, yelling as she crossed her arms across her chest angrily. Her hair was still damp, a small towel draped around her shoulders. She was dressed in a loose T-shirt and short shorts, dripping all over her brother's floor.

"Onee-chan…why would I ever steal your hair band? I mean…sure, you look a lot better without it, but I know how much you like it." Without missing a beat, the middle schooler turned the page he was on, continuing with his reading.

Ritsu blinked. Did she really look better without it? Shaking her head, she pushed that issue aside as she wondered where her bright yellow head band could have gone. It was a brand new one too… "Are you sure you haven't seen it? I used to have dozens of them, but for some reason…they seem to have…all disappeared." Sighing, Ritsu put on her best thinking expression as she wracked her brain to try and solve this strange phenomenon.

Suddenly, Ritsu's ear perked up as a familiar tune reached her ears. It was After School TeaTime's first recording of Fuwa Fuwa Time, Mio's sweet soprano bringing a smile to her face. Without another word, the drummer scrambled to her own room and executed a flying tuck and roll onto her bed as she snatched up her flashing and ringing phone.

"H-Hello? Mio?" The brunette was slightly out of breath from her multitude of unnecessary movements, breathing quite heavily into the receiver.

"_Ritsu? Are you okay? You sound kinda…out of breath?"_

It certainly was Mio on the other end and Ritsu beamed. "I-I'm t-totally fine. What's up?"

"_Oh ok. Well, I'm just calling to ask if I can come over now instead of at 9 o'clock? My mom's going out and she said she'll drop me off at your place on the way so I won't have to walk over there when it's dark."_

"T-Tonight?" Ritsu' eyes snapped open as the fragments of their earlier conversation came back to her. She invited Mio over to help her memorize the play script. "O-oh yeah. Sure. That's okay. I wouldn't want poor Mio getting assaulted by one of her fanclub members walking over to my house or something."

"_W-W-W-What are you talking about, stupid Ritsu?! M-my fanclub wouldn't do that…I think…"_

Ritsu chuckled at the reaction she expected and received. "Well, I'll see you soon then, okay? Remember to bring the ice cream!"

"_Hai, hai…Because that's definitely the most important thing I need to bring, right? Geez…ice cream in the winter? It's so like you to crave something so ridiculous! But yeah I'll see you later."_ Mio's voice was full of exasperation but sounds of her laughter floated over the line.

"Haha! Bye, Mio." Ritsu chimed in as she hung up. The drummer couldn't remember the last time she felt so free of worries. Sure, she had to have the entire play memorized in two days, but Mio, the Dangerous Queen was coming over for a sleepover just to help her. There could be nothing better.

Throwing herself back onto her bed, Ritsu hummed happily to herself, looking forward to spending some quality time with her favorite person. Mio was a really good person to run lines with and…suddenly Ritsu's thoughts wandered to the time in the music room just last week where everything changed. Not everything per se, but Ritsu finally realized that what she felt for Mio wasn't just friendship. However, the drummer couldn't exactly say the same for the other girl. They kissed and after, they never spoke of it again. The brunette grimaced slightly as she remembered Mio's words. Maybe kissing really was no big deal for her.

"Onee-chan! Did you find your hair band?"

Ritsu jumped up like a springboard, sitting up ramrod straight as she just remembered why she was in such a panic earlier. "Crap…" Her hands flew to the top of her head and she could feel only her rough disheveled hair. It brought her back to reality and to her previously half-crazed state. Springing up, the drummer paced the room like a mad dog, assessing the situation. Her hair was a mess and Mio was coming over.

Looking around, Ritsu assessed yet another pressing situation. Her room was a ridiculous pig sty. Clothes were thrown every which way, mismatched socks strewn on opposite ends of the room. Random magazines and CD cases littered the floor, making it rather hard to manoeuver the drummer's room. It really had been a while since the brunette had any guests over, but the mess was a little bit ridiculous. Looking at the clock on the wall, Ritsu estimated that Mio would be here in less than ten minutes.

With the time constraint, the girl sans headband had only one of two options. She could either clean her room or waste time looking for her phantom hair accessory. It wasn't like Mio hadn't seen her with her bangs down before, but it had just been a while since then and maybe…Ritsu was just not used to being so...exposed in way.

Sighing loudly, Ritsu gave in to logic and started throwing her dirty clothes into the laundry hamper.

* * *

"R-R-R-Ritsu?" Mio's jaw dropped as a stranger answered the door. She knew Ritsu was sensitive about letting people see her with her hair down and the bassist finally knew why. If Ritsu walked down the street with her hair down, she would have to beat girls off left and right. Mio never knew how…how well Ritsu could pull off the messy rockstar look.

"Y-Yeah, Mio? Are you gonna come in or just stand out there and stare at me all night?"Ritsu blushed under Mio's stare, twirling a lock of her messy hair absent mindedly. Her best friend was still standing at the door, bundled up in her winter coat.

"O-oh..S-sorry about that." Mio broke her gaze, coughing slightly as she entered the familiar warmth of Ritsu's house. A small tub of Ritsu's favorite red bean ice cream was in her hands, melting as the seconds passed.

After the customary greetings and formalities with Ritsu's parents, the two girls made their way up to Ritsu's now clean room.

Mio settled down in front of Ritsu's bed, sitting on the floor as she set the ice cream on the coffee table in the middle of the room. There was a slight awkwardness as Mio kept her eyes on Ritsu, surprised that her friend's hair could grow out so much in just a couple of months. Did she not cut her bangs on purpose?

"W-what is it? Why do you keep staring at me, Mio? It's making me feel kinda…nervous." Ritsu bit her lip as she plopped down onto her bed, her cheeks red with embarrassment. She squirmed uncomfortably as Mio just kept staring, those big blue eyes looking on in light amusement and something else that the drummer couldn't put her finger on.

"It's just that…" Mio paused, standing before she seated herself beside Ritsu on the bed, looking right into the brunette's wide golden eyes. "You just look so cool with your bangs down. You look…really…" At that, the bassist trailed off, catching herself from saying something really humiliating.

"W-Whatever…" Ritsu grumbled as she stood, putting distance between her and Mio as she busied herself with something unimportant. She might've been uneasy at Mio's reaction, but deep down, she was actually really happy that the other girl felt that way.

"So, Ritsu, shall we get to work? I know it's the weekend, but we should finish this up as soon as we can." Mio stood up as well, walking over to Ritsu's desk. As she crossed the expanse of the small room, the bassist brushed past the shorter girl, their arms touching for a split second. The contact was just for a second, but it made Ritsu shudder, a strange feeling shooting up her spine.

To the drummer's horror, Mio noticed that little action, turning to Ritsu quizzically.

"Are you cold? Maybe you should put on a longer pair of pants?" Mio's gave the other girl a quick up-down, wondering why she was wearing short shorts in the middle of winter. Sure they looked quite nice on her, but a girl could really catch her death of cold from that. Even though they do say that idiots don't catch colds…

"Y-yeah, yeah…I'll do that later. I just got out of the bath, so I wasn't really thinking." Ritsu grabbed the scripts form her desk, handing one to Mio as she flipped through the thick stack of loose pages. The brunette was trying to distract herself as she could still feel Mio's scrutiny burn into the bare skin of her legs. She felt rather self-conscious now, something foreign to the usually confident club leader.

"Okay, so let's get started!" Mio was a little bit too enthusiastic about spending her Saturday night helping her friend memorize a play, but she wasn't a typical girl.

"Agh…Mio, how can you be so pumped up about this?! Just looking at how much I have to read is giving me a headache." Ritsu sighed, already exhausted before attempting to tackle this great feat.

"Don't worry, Ritsu. It'll all be worth it in the end. I mean, how will you feel if Yui has her lines memorized better that you? I know Yui's kind of a genius at some things, but you do know what I mean, right?" Mio raised an eyebrow at Ritsu, coaxing the drummer's competitive side to come out.

Sighing again, Ritsu plopped down beside Mio, letting her head loll back against the frame of her bed. "I hate how you're so right. I don't want to lose to Yui, so I'd better use my secret weapon while I have access to it."

Mio looked over, puzzled. "Secret weapon?" The bassist blinked in confusion, wondering what the girl could ever mean.

"Hehehe…I'm glad you asked, Mio-tan, because the answer is right here!" Ritsu pointed a finger right at Mio's face, the tip of her finger touching the taller girl's perfectly straight nose.

Bursting out laughing, Mio swatted Ritsu's hand away, falling back slightly. She held onto her side as she giggled uncontrollably. "Y-You're so ridiculous! No wonder you and Yui get along so well!"

* * *

"Achoo!" Yui sneezed harder than she ever had. "Aghh…."

"Here, Yui-sempai." Azusa handed Yui the tissue box, offering the girl a sympathetic smile as well.

Blowing her nose, Yui sniffled. "Thanks, Azu-nyan…Ugh…that hurt." Leaning back against Azusa's couch, the girl squeezed her eyes shut wrinkled her nose. "I don't know why I'm sneezing. I'm not even sick!"

"Haha…maybe someone's talking about you somewhere, sempai?" Azusa smirked as she took her spot beside Yui, picking up the highlighted pages that she had been going over with her upperclassman for the last hour or so. Azusa had been kind enough to let Yui come over since Ui was over at Jun's house working on a science project for the night. It wasn't like Azusa wasn't craving company either. Her parents were out of town performing and her house did get lonely sometimes.

Yui suddenly stopped at Azusa's words, turning to the younger girl with pure shock written on her face. "People. Are talking about me? Does it mean that I'm that popular already? Maybe our Budokan dreams are going to come true soon!" The lead guitarist's eyes sparkled with their usual delusional charm and the twintailed girl couldn't help but giggle at that.

"Sure, sure. I'm sure that's the case, Yui-sempai, but are you sure you're ready for your class practice on Monday?" Azusa flipped through the pages, wondering if Yui really had the attention span to memorize so many lines. She was surprised that the airhead had gotten the role in the first place.

"Let's just take a break, Azu-nyannnn." Yui slumped over, wrapping her arms around Azusa as she nuzzled her face into the crook of the other girl's neck.

Azusa frowned, but didn't push Yui away. It was a cold night and the warmth was somewhat…welcoming. It was nothing unfamiliar, but she knew it meant something different to her beloved sempai than it did to her. Leaning into Yui's hold, the petite girl returned the hug, brushing her lips against Yui's forhead, ghosting a soft kiss against the other girl's skin.

"Hehe….that tickles, Azu-nyan." Yui tightened her hold on the girl, shuddering at the sensation of Azusa's lips against her.

The moment Azusa realized what she had done, she mentally chided herself, wondering how she had gotten herself into such an intimate position with her favorite upperclassman. Yui was too touchy. She was too supportive of the whole skinship between sempai and kouhai, but that's all it was. The brunette had said it on many occasions herself. Skinship.

Wriggling out of Yui's hold, Azusa stood, excusing herself with a lame excuse as she scrambled upstairs. She felt like her heart was about to burst, her head starting to pound.

"Azu-nyan?" Yui was left alone on the couch as she called after her, wondering if she had said something or done something to upset the younger girl. The older Hirasawa sister might have seemed a little dense on the surface, but she was more perceptive than people gave her credit for. She had an inkling why Azusa was acting the way she was, but she wasn't completely sure...just yet.

* * *

"Mio, I'm done. Totally and utterly done. I can't take this anymore! Let's take a break." Ritsu was sprawled spread eagle on her bed, her face buried in her pillow and her words muffled and unintelligible.

"Mhmm…" Said bassist had a spoon in her mouth, licking off the remnants of the ice cream that they had opened a while ago. The small tub was nearly empty, just an inch of sweet liquid pooling at the bottom of the container. Mio was still reading the script, getting absorbed into the story. She didn't know how many times she had read the book, but the play version was different and rather intriguing.

"Mio! I thought my secret weapon could help me breeze through this, but she's gone and betrayed me, has she?" Ritsu jumped up, pointing her finger again at Mio, but accusingly this time.

Without looking up from the script, Mio smirked at Ritsu's actions. "Pointing is bad manners, Tainaka-san."

Ritsu gasped as she feigned an over exaggerated expression of shock. "Well, Akiyama-san. Finishing all the ice cream is bad manners as well!"

Mio rolled her eyes, flipping the page as she continued reading. "It was me who brought the ice cream anyway."

"And it's _your_ waistline's that's going to grow anyway." Ritsu chuckled as she blew a raspberry at Mio childishly, mocking the girl.

Mio's face paled and her hand slacked, dropping the spoon. The bassist's eye twitched slightly and the play was momentarily forgotten. Now, thoughts of exercise filled her head as she realized that she single-handedly finished more than half the tub of red bean ice cream.

"Teehee…I bet you didn't think about that, did you, Aki-ya-ma-san?" Ritsu sounded out all the syllables in Mio's name in a sing song fashion. She smirked smugly while bouncing up and down on her bed.

"Grrr…Ritsu, you dummy!" Mio jumped up onto Ritsu's bed, snatching up the pillow as she pummeled the drummer with the soft object. The black haired girl tried to rid herself of those thoughts of gaining weight as she beat her best friend. Her skirt wasn't fitting so well these days and her shirts _were_ getting tighter….

"Haha! Beating me up won't help you shed those pounds, Dangerous Queen!" The drummer laughed harder and harder as she shielded herself from Mio's fluffy pillow assault.

"Agh! It's your fault. In. The. First. Place!" With her words, Mio swung harder and harder, but on the last blow, Ritsu dodged it a little too skillfully, and Mio lost her balance with the weight of her attack.

"M-Mio!" The brunette let out a yell as the fifty four kilogram girl landed on top of her, smothering her against the mattress. The pillow went flying and Mio's face landed hard against Ritsu's shoulder.

"Ow…"

Scrambling onto her elbows, Mio propped herself up, ignoring the pain radiating across her right cheek. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, Ritsu. Are you okay?" The bassist was semi-straddling the petite brunette and Ritsu's bare thighs were trapped between Mio's knees. Their chests were nearly touching, Mio's long black hair spilling over her shoulder and onto Ritsu's cheek.

"I'm…fine." Ritsu just lay there, paralyzed as she felt Mio's body hovering only inches above hers. She averted Mio's gaze, avoiding looking at Mio's disheveled hair, her flustered face. The drummer had tried so hard this week to make things normal, to make things seem like they were okay, but now, things were definitely not okay.

"I really didn't mean to do that…I'm so sorry…." Mio's voice trailed off but the tall girl showed no signs of getting up anytime soon. She just stared at Ritsu's flushed face with increasing curiosity.

Noticing Mio's silence and her burning stare once again, Ritsu was thoroughly perplexed as to why her friend was still on top of her. "M-Mio…Is something wrong with my face? All night, you've been staring at me like you've never seen a Tainaka Ritsu before..." Ritsu mumbled her words, wondering if it was her imagination or if Mio's face was getting closer to hers.

"I just…like how you look with your bangs down…that's all." Mio found her heart pounding harder and harder against her ribcage, her pulse racing off the charts.

"T-Thanks…"Ritsu turned her head slightly, her eyes meeting Mio's. There, she saw those blue eyes darken, the bassist looking more mature than she ever had, her tousled hair adding to the effect.

"You should leave your hair down more often. You just look really…" Mio swallowed hard, her breathing starting to become erratic. Something inside her was keeping her there, trapping Ritsu underneath her. It seemed like only yesterday that the tables were turned, where Ritsu had pushed her against the music room's table and…

"Mio, we shouldn't-"

Before Ritsu could say anymore, Mio interjected. "I-It's okay. It's just…just a kiss, right?" Mio smiled rather forlornly, a smile that didn't seem to reach her big blue eyes. Something about this was just so sad, but Mio didn't understand why her heart ached so much.

"Don't do this. Mio, we…" Ritsu couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth as she tried to wriggle out of the other girl's grasp. She could tell what the bassist had in mind and she wanted it, but she knew it was wrong, just so wrong.

"It's okay, isn't it? We're both girls so…it…it doesn't count." Mio remembered those words from someone who told her that not long ago. They seemed empty back then and even more hollow now. She finally understood why Sokabe-sempai spun those lies so she would kiss her. It was the same now. Plainly and simply, Mio just wanted to kiss Ritsu right now. There couldn't be anything to it. It was…just a kiss.

_Just a kiss._

Ritsu's mind was full of conflict. Here Mio was, offering her what she had been craving for so long and all she wanted to do was reject it and give into her desires all at the same time. She knew that the bassist didn't feel the same way. She couldn't. Ritsu had been in love with her for so long and there was no way that Akiyama Mio felt the same. It was like she had said. They were both girls. It didn't count.

"Ritsu…" Lips parted slightly, Mio swallowed hard, Ritsu's name rolling off her tongue quite breathily.

"Mio, I…" Ritsu just stared at Mio's flawless face, her eyes roving over the black haired girl's dainty mouth. It was just too tempting.

Ritsu's self-control crumbled and she arched up slightly and closed her eyes. She met Mio half way, their lips meeting with a different kind of eagerness than the first time. The drummer snaked her arms around Mio's neck, bringing the girl closer as she crushed their bodies together. Now, it was more desperate, more raw and full of passion and there was nothing innocent about their kiss.

Mio wanted more and she pushed further into Ritsu's mouth. Their tongues met and Ritsu let out a soft moan, causing a jolt to run up the bassist's spine. All Mio could think about was how much she wanted Ritsu and how good kissing her best friend felt. It was nothing like those times with Sokabe Megumi. Everything was different. It didn't make sense to her why her heart beat so fast when Ritsu was around, why it felt like there were butterflies in her stomach every time Ritsu smiled at her.

The two girls continued, entangled in each other's limbs as they lost themselves in their own world. Their reasons for resisting were oh so different, but their reasons for continuing were, unbeknownst to both of them, all too similar.

* * *

"Azu-nyan, are you okay?"

A knock came at the bathroom door and Azusa quickly tried to wipe away the angry tears that were streaming down her face. "Stupid…" The girl chided herself for being so obvious, for being so…so worked up by Yui's simple skinship. That's all it was. It was just skinship.

"Azu-nyan?"

Yui was concerned. Azusa could tell. The core member of their light music club always acted like a doofus, but sometimes…

"I-I'm okay. I'm fine, Yui-sempai." Azusa called out as she wiped the last of the salty streams that streaked her face, turning on the faucet as she washed her face with cold water.

After a couple of deep breaths and a few practice smiles in the mirror, Azusa unlocked the bathroom door and opened it to face the cause of her heartache.

For a second, the two just stared at each other wordlessly. Yui had an expression of genuine worry on her face, one that Azusa had never seen before. The shorter twintailed girl had a weak smile on her face and it faltered as her chest continued to tighten at the sight of her beloved sempai. After a brief silence, Yui moved closer, but reflexively, the younger girl jerked back and she instantly regretted it. The next expression that filled the brunette's face was one of hurt, of rejection.

Again, Azusa's chest tightened.

"Yui-sempai, I-"

Trying again, Yui took a step forward, not letting Azusa escape this time as she smothered the girl in a bear hug. "I'm sorry." Yui's words were muffled into the crown of Azusa's head. The younger girl could feel the faint sensation of Yui's lips mouthing the words.

Azusa's arms were slack at her side, feeling tears well up in her eyes. Why did Yui have to be so kind, so gentle, so loveable? It just wasn't fair.

"I'm so sorry, Azusa…" Yui continued to apologize as she stroked Azusa's head softly, her hands running through the girl's hair.

Azusa bit back the tears as she reveled in the way Yui said her name. Closing her eyes and relaxing into her friend's arms, she wondered why she was being such a drama queen. That was Mio and Ritsu's department. Not hers.

"Will you tell me what's wrong?" Yui continued in a gentle voice and Azusa finally saw the girl as an older sister. She seemed unreliable, but she was really just the opposite.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Azusa fought back the tears, finally returning her sempai's hold as she snaked her arms around Yui's waist, clinging to her like she was going to disappear.

The seconds that passed seemed more like minutes and Azusa was more determined than ever to fix things. She didn't want her and Yui to end up like Mio and Ritsu. She needed to let Yui know how she really felt about her, how hard she was struggling to keep her feelings at bay. Azusa didn't want to hide behind excuses, behind 'just skinship'. She need to let Hirasawa Yui know how she felt.

Letting go momentarily, Azusa separated them enough so that she could look into Yui's warm honey coloured eyes. She smiled genuinely this time, reaching a resolution. "I'm sorry I made you worry, Yui-sempai. None of this is your fault. Trust me." Bringing the taller girl close, Azusa clung to Yui again, drinking in her scent as she just enjoyed the other girl's warmth for the moment. She continued on, but her words were heavily muffled into Yui's sweater. "I-I'll tell you, Yui-sempai, but…just not today, okay? Soon…I promise."

Surprisingly, Yui caught the faint whisper of Azusa's words, nodding as she began to understand the situation a bit more.

* * *

**A/N**: Lol. I bring you drama. I don't know what happened to my happy go lucky K-ON characters. They may be on vacation. Rushed and frantic typing. I hope this isn't too OOC and too heavy for K-ON. Minimal proofreading due to it being 2:30am with me having to get up early for work soon. Oh well. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Please review! Praise and criticism both accepted although I would rather much prefer praise over criticism. They both help me grow as a writer though, so bring it on. :)

Thanks for reading :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Part 5**

* * *

"Romeo, Romeo, where for art thou, Romeo!" Yui stood atop the makeshift stage, the spotlight centered on her as she delivered her lines dramatically, her hand outstretched to the heavens.

There was a deafening silence in the classroom as everyone stared at her with their mouths agape like dying fish.

The guitarist, knowing that her joke didn't seem very funny, looked out into the darkened room, blinking. "Ehe?" She didn't get her lines memorized in time even though she only had one or two important scenes to contend with.

Ritsu's palm hit her face harder than it ever had and she sighed along with the rest of the class.

"WRONG PLAY!" 30 of Yui's classmates chimed in at the same time, making the girl wince as the whole classroom erupted half in laughter and exasperation.

Ritsu shook her head, bounding onstage as she pulled the failed actress off raised platform. "Yui! Did you even learn your lines?"

The air-headed brunette laughed sheepishly, her nervous laughter making Ritsu feel on edge. Usually, that kind of awkward laughter stopped after a couple seconds, but Yui couldn't seem to turn it off.

"Yo! Snap out of it!" Ritsu shook the guitarist roughly, trying to shake out all of ridiculous out of the girl. They were done practice anyway, so it was a nice stress relief, but a whole new stress to deal with in terms of Yui's lack of lines.

"G-g-gomen, Ricchan! I was a little tied up this weekend. I was…helping Azu-nyan with something. Hehe…" Yui smiled sheepishly, trying to escape Ritsu's murderous grasp.

"Well….it's a good thing your part isn't too substantial. Just learn your lines by next week, okay?" Sighing again, the drummer, released her grip on the guitarist.

"Roger! Sir Ricchan sir!" Yui mock saluted, standing at attention before she ran off to help the others tear down their makeshift set.

"Good work, everyone! Especially Ritsu!"

"Yeah! Ritsu had her lines down so perfectly!"

"Thanks to Ritsu, we'll totally be a hit!"

"Definitely! Even with Yui's acting!" Everyone burst out again in laughter at that, the hallway resonating with the girls' voices.

"See you tomorrow!"

Waving goodbye to her classmates, Tainaka Ritsu exited the room, making her way down the hall. Ritsu sighed, relieved that today's rehearsal was finally over. She struggled so hard to recall all those pages she had committed to memory in a mere 48 hours. The drummer knew she couldn't have done it without the help of her very supportive secret weapon. Although Mio really was more of a distraction at times…a very pleasant distraction, but a distraction nonetheless.

Ritsu had a contemplative look on her face, wondering how she should act when she sees her best friend for the first time after what happened this weekend. Their whole setup was confusing to say the least. Was what they had purely physical?

Furrowing her brows in deep concentration, Ritsu abruptly snapped out of her thoughts as she found herself in front of the music room. Without realizing, her legs had carried her up that flight of stairs to a very familiar set of wooden doors. Standing there for a moment, Ritsu hesitated, her hand hovering over the handle. Her ears perked up at the faint sounds of a bass guitar playing some complicated technical riffs through the door.

Taking a deep breath, Ritsu walked into the club room and once again, she found herself alone with Akiyama Mio. The bassist was set up on the far side of the room by the window, her slender fingers plucking the thick metal strings of her bass. Mio looked up when the door opened, pausing slightly when she locked eyes with Ritsu. Her cheeks colored slightly, but she smiled and offered a quiet hi.

Ritsu smiled back shyly, but she diverted her attention from Mio as she spotted Azusa's bright red Mustang propped up against the wall beside the bassist. "Hey, Mio. Where's Azusa?"

This time, Mio didn't look up as she continued strumming quietly. "She was here earlier, but she just left a couple of minutes ago saying she needed to speak to Yui. I'm surprised you didn't see her on the way up here." Pausing, Mio hoisted her bass up, working the strap over her head as she set her guitar down, walking over to the door where Ritsu was standing.

"Oh. I guess we just missed each other." Ritsu was rather dazed, wondering if this past weekend at her house was all just a dream. It was just so surreal to talk to Mio at school like nothing happened between them. It was just so strange to talk to Mio without remembering how the girl practically knocked her down and had her way with her. It only lasted for ten long and blissful minutes, but Ritsu's mind was still fresh with the sensation of Mio's lips, her body and the way the bassist ran her hands across her skin. She wondered if it was at all normal for best friends to make out with their hands up each other's shirts…

"So…how was that practice, Ritsu?"

Ritsu was jarred out of her thoughts by Mio's question and the drummer was surprised to find that the bassist had moved closer than she expected.

"It was really good." Ritsu offered up a nervous smile, brushing past Mio as she threw her schoolbag onto the club couch, walking over to their tea table.

"Really now?" Mio raised an eyebrow, wondering if Ritsu's lack of enthusiasm in her response was evidence that something had gone wrong. The bassist bit her lip, feeling a sort of tension in the air between them.

"Mhmm. " Without turning to face Mio, Ritsu poured herself a cup of tea, replying with a noncommittal answer. She pretended to be looking at some scores that were laid out on the table, flipping through them half-heartedly.

Mio stood rooted to her spot near the door and after knowing Ritsu for most of her life, she knew when the drummer was giving her the cold shoulder.

What they were doing wasn't right. It wasn't healthy for them not to talk about it, but talking was exactly what neither of them wanted to do. Even after the steamy encounter they had over the weekend, they reverted back to normal right after, refusing to admit that anything was different.

Again, the two were back to square one as they stood meters apart in the room, an awkward silence settling in around them. Neither of them said anything more but both of them had questions and feelings they so desperately wanted to bring to light.

"I-"

"Ritsu-"

They both started at the same time and they had a sense of deja vu. They seemed to be rather off-sync recently and it wasn't the first time that they clashed like this.

Again, there was a brief silence before Ritsu finally turned, her hands trembling slightly.

"Mio, what are we doing?" The drummer's voice dripped with an edge of contempt, mixed together with a certain sadness. She avoided Mio's gaze, staring angrily at the floor.

"I…I don't know, Ritsu." Mio felt guilty, her chest tightening as she caught a glimpse of how utterly exhausted her friend looked. She knew that their relationship was the cause of it all, but it was confusing even to her. The bassist simply just didn't know what she wanted. What _was_ Ritsu to her?

Taking another deep breath, Ritsu shut her eyes as she tried to think of a way to fix everything. There were a string of words that dangled on the tip of her tongue. The brunette so desperately wanted to let them out, but her conscience told her that it would be anything but beneficial to let Mio know the truth. However, completely disregarding reason, Ritsu steeled her nerves as she took yet another breath.

"I think I'm in love with you, Mio."

The words came out in one fluid breath, punctuating the silence between them.

At that moment, Mio felt like time had stopped. It was like she forgot to breathe as Ritsu said those words. It hit her like a wall and the bassist didn't know if she loved Ritsu or not. What was love anyway? What did it mean when her best friend said those words? What was going to change now? Mio's head was crammed with questions and she was beyond overwhelmed. All her favorite shoujo manga depicted girls and their princes and Mio wondered that if in this situation, she was the princess and Ritsu, her prince charming. It didn't fit though. Something was very different in this particular scenario.

They were both girls.

"You don't have to give me an answer now, but…will you please…say something?" Ritsu's voice was more timid than ever, making the girl more feminine and vulnerable than Mio had seen before.

Her breathing coming quite quickly, Mio didn't understand what she felt. She was completely speechless. Until recently, Ritsu had always just been her best friend and nothing more, but the line was now blurred.

"Mio…" Taking a step forward, Ritsu pleaded with the girl, her eyes starting to sting with the tears she was trying so hard to hold back.

"I-I…I need to think about it." Mio didn't know what else to say. She did need time to think about it and she didn't know what else to tell the other girl.

Smiling sadly, Ritsu shook her head. "I…I just don't get what you need to think about. We kissed. _You_ kissed me the other night."

Swallowing hard, Mio knew that was true. There was nothing else she wanted to do in that moment in Ritsu's room other than kiss the girl silly, but what her body wanted didn't make sense. Mio knew that from previous experiences, physical contact was just that. Kissing was kissing. Feelings didn't need to be involved.

"I'm sorry. I just need to…sort things out. I told you before, Ritsu. Kissing…and dating…I just…I'm confused about where I stand right now." Mio turned away, walking over to her bass as she quickly packed her things away.

For a second, Ritsu just stood there, watching as Mio ran from her feelings. She was hurt, but Mio had said no. She didn't say yes either, but it wasn't a rejection.

Zipping up her nylon guitar case, Mio grabbed her schoolbag from its spot on the couch and she headed towards the door quickly, almost desperately.

"Mio, wait!"

At that, Mio stopped, hesitantly turning back to Ritsu.

Closing the distance between them in a few quick strides, Ritsu grabbed the bassist's free hand, gripping her wrist tightly as she stared down those blue eyes that were so clouded with turmoil. "Mio, I get it. I understand. I'll give you as much time as you want, but just make sure you think this through and make a decision you won't regret…I…I don't want you to feel obligated to do anything just because you're afraid to hurt my feelings. We're best friends first above anything else. Remember that."

Mio nodded wordlessly, taken aback by Ritsu's maturity. More than anything, she was touched by what the girl said, her heart was racing in a way that she knew wasn't normal. This sensation used to be unfamiliar, but now, it was usually just reserved for Ritsu. The sight of Ritsu made her heart flutter, made her breath catch in her throat and made her palms sweat. The way Ritsu was making her feel, the way her words were making her stomach do flip flops…it could've fooled Mio into thinking that maybe she really was in love with her best friend.

* * *

Azusa tried to swallow her nerves as she walked over to the second year's classroom. She could still hear the hustle and bustle of people inside, the last of the play equipment being packed away. Listening carefully, the young girl could pick out a certain voice, a voice that she could recognize anywhere. "Yui-sempai…"

Behind the closed doors, Azusa could hear Yui fooling around with her classmates, poking fun and teasing them like she did to her. It made the guitarist wonder if she was just another one of those girls that Yui liked to tease. Leaning against the wall, Azusa just listened to the chatter and banter for a while, growing increasingly more jealous as eavesdropped. She sulked, clenching her fists and crumpling a wrinkled piece of paper held tightly in her left hand.

"Azusa-chan?"

Azusa froze at the sound of her name. She turned to her right where a blonde head was poking out of the classroom door, looking curiously at her.

"What are you doing here? Are you waiting for us?" That gentle voice was confused, wondering why the twintail girl wasn't in the music room with the others.

"Mugi-sempai! I…I was just wondering…where Yui-sempai was. I wanted to talk to her about…this riff…in Pure Pure Heart. I was kind of stuck on it." Azusa lied through her teeth as she stared Mugi down, hoping that she wouldn't be found out.

"Oh! Okay!" Smiling kindly, Mugi's eyes seemed to sparkle with excitement as she heard Azusa's very poor excuse. "Let me get her for you!" The blonde disappeared into the classroom for a couple seconds before reappearing with a dazed Yui by her side.

No questions asked, no comments made. Mugi- sempai really was the best Azusa thought. However, little to Azusa's knowledge, it was just that Mugi knew so much that she didn't even need to ask questions. Such was the power of the rich girl's deductive skills and expertise in these types of relationships.

"Oh, you were looking for me, Azu-nyan?" Yui was her usual happy and clueless self, smiling widely at the sight of her favorite kouhai.

"Y-Yeah…I was. Can you come with me, Yui-sempai? I need to talk to you about something." Azusa blushed as she looked down at her feet, clenching her fists even tighter.

"Sure!" Yui exclaimed before she turned to Mugi who was watching the short exchange with a knowing smirk on her face. "Mugi, you go ahead to the music room. Azu-nyan and I will be back later~!"

"Roger!" Mugi mimicked Yui's earlier action as she saluted, returning to the classroom.

Left alone in the hallway, Azusa was trying to remember the next step in her plan of action, but with Yui staring at her, it was hard to recall her detailed five page scenario outline for this moment. All her planning seemed to be in vain as her mind was as blank as Yui's stare.

"So, Azu-nyan, how about we go somewhere a little more private? You needed to talk to me, right?" Yui smiled softly and Azusa noticed that the brunette was trying her best not to be so silly today. The young guitarist wondered why her sempai didn't show this more mature side of her more often.

"Let's…go to the roof." The words tumbled out of Azusa's mouth without a second thought. She just needed somewhere quiet and isolated and the roof of their school after the end of classes seemed so ideal.

"Good idea." Yui kept her distance behind Azusa as they made their trek up the stairs to the top floor.

They were both quiet as they walked there, a nervous energy flitting between them. Azusa was beside herself with worry, trying to organize her thoughts and feelings so she could somehow convey them in an articulate fashion.

As they climbed the final flight of stairs to the roof, a voice broke the silence.

"I had fun this weekend, Azu-nyan." Yui had a soft expression on her face, remembering the quiet night they spent watching movies after they had given up on practicing lines.

"I-I'm glad you did." Azusa smiled, loving how the older girl knew how to say the right things at the right times to make her feel better. She felt less uneasy now knowing that Yui was her friend first and her crush second. Her heart was still thudding hard against her chest, but she was determined to make things work. She knew that Yui wasn't graduating yet, but she didn't want to waste this time they had left together.

Reaching the metal door to the school's rooftop, Azusa took a deep breath as she opened the door. A crisp breeze whipped her hair back and forth once she stepped out into the open area, her cheeks turning red from the cold weather. It seemed that just seconds ago, neither of them found a problem with going up to the roof in the middle of winter. It _was_ definitely deserted though.

"S-so cold!" Yui jumped up and down, trying to get warmer as she followed Azusa out onto the roof.

Turning abruptly, Azusa stuttered, the cold wind nipping her to the bone. "I-I-I'll make this quick! I-"

Yui interrupted at that moment, grabbing Azusa by the shoulders. "A-Azusa, as your sempai, let me go first."

The younger girl was taken aback, shocked by the fiery gaze in Yui's eyes as she said her name in a way she had never heard before.

"I'm completely in love with you!" Yui screamed the words from the top of her lungs, the cold winter air rushing into her throat. The guitarist started coughing violently at the exposure to the cold air, letting go of Azusa as she coughed into her hands.

"E-e-eeehh?! W-What do you mean b-b-by that?!" Azusa's mind was spinning, her ears ringing from the shock as she stood there, watching Yui hack and cough due to the cold air. Maybe she was dreaming, maybe she had fallen on her way up to the roof and hit her head. There was no way that what she was hearing was real. She had half expected Yui to tell her that she forgot her mittens today or forgot her house keys again for the fiftieth time.

She felt faint. The young girl with twintails was having a wonderful dream and she didn't want to wake up. That's it. It was all a dream. It had to be.

"Azusa." Again, Yui reverted back to her serious mode, clearing her throat as if she were about to make some kind of grand speech. "You're not only Azu-nyan to me. You're my kouhai, my Azusa. Don't tell the other club members this…but I like Azu-nyan the best. I like you the best out of everyone at school. I'm crazy about you. I don't want to graduate without you and the thought of Azusa getting a boyfriend just…makes me sad, so…would you go out with me?"

"Yui-sempai…" Azusa's cheeks grew warmer and redder not from the winter air that bit at her cheeks, but from the strange increase in her body temperature from the words that her beloved sempai had stolen right from _her_ well-rehearsed speech. Azusa looked down at the piece of paper that had been scrunched up beyond recognition by her own sweaty hands and wondered what she was to do now.

"Azu-nyan?" Yui scratched her head sheepishly, waiting for a response. "I hope you heard that…because I might find it kind of hard to say all over again…" The brunette was blushing now, idly kicking the pebbles around her feet. Hirasawa Yui wasn't usually a shy girl, but there were some things that the flamboyant guitarist couldn't handle.

Her entire frame shaking, Azusa bit her bottom lip. Deciding her next step in a split second, she thrust the wrinkled note at Yui's chest, unable to say anything else before she turned and bolted down the stairs, her face burning with embarrassment. She didn't know what to do. She had everything planned out but it had gone south, so she ran.

Standing there, Yui's jaw dropped open as she watched Azusa's figure disappear down the dark stairwell. She thought it was nothing if not a perfect confession. She even practiced on Ui a couple of times and her younger sister told her that her plan was genius. Completely stumped, Yui wondered what she did wrong. She looked down at the crumpled paper in her hand, gingerly unfolded it and started reading what she knew for sure was Azusa's neat handwriting.

* * *

"Mio-chan? What are you doing here?" Mugi was puzzled, wondering why she was finding her light music club members in places she didn't expect them to be in today. The blonde had been making her way to the music room when she passed classroom 2-A, noticing that there was a figured seated at the back of the rom.

The tall and slender bassist was seated at her desk in her empty classroom, her bass propped up against the wall behind her. Her knees were pulled up to her chest and her feet perched on the edge of her chair. Mio had an expression that Mugi had never seen. She seemed lost, unsure and just wallowing in her own misery.

"I'm just…thinking about something." Mio's voice was lacklustre and hollow, alarming her blonde friend.

"Tell me about it, Mio-chan. Maybe we can figure this out together." Taking a seat beside the girl, Mugi put her skills of logic to the test, knowing that this predicament probably had something to do with a certain Tainaka Ritsu.

"It's Ritsu."

Mugi smiled knowingly. She was right as always.

"She…told me that she was in love with me." Mio's voice shrunk as she said this, the words feeling foreign to her own ears. She needed someone to confide in and she knew Mugi wouldn't be one to spread rumors or make any unreserved judgements.

"How do you feel about Ritsu?" The blonde heiress struggled to contain her excitement. She saw hints of their drama behind the scenes, but now it was full blown. However, now, Mio was in a predicament and she needed to devote her time to helping her friend instead of relishing the juiciness of the drama that was just so common in these all girls' schools.

"I'm…not sure…I mean Ritsu's my best friend. I've known her since preschool. I don't know how I feel about her." Mio's thoughts wandered to all the times she hung out with Ritsu. They had been together for so long that she didn't think much of it.

"Well, girls always say to picture kissing a person to see whether you like them or not. If you can't even stand imaging kissing that person, then a romantic relationship isn't the answer." Mugi had a thoughtful look on her face, trying to figure out a way to help her friend.

"I…we've kissed already…a couple of times…" Mio sunk into her seat further as her cheeks started to turn red from embarrassment. Even though it was just Mugi, it was strange to talk about kissing Ritsu to anyone.

"Oh! Then…" Mugi blinked, not expecting such a turn of events from the innocent couple. Thinking again, the girl came up with something else. "Then how about putting some distance between you two? You might not know how you feel about someone close to you until they're not there anymore. You might be taking her for granted."

"Distance…?" Mio thought about the idea and it seemed to make sense. She had never been away from Ritsu for more than a week and that was only once when the drummer's family went on a vacation to Germany last year.

"Maybe this will finally make you realize how you really feel about Ritsu if you don't see her for a while."

Mio gave the idea some thought and for now, it seemed like the best thing to do in her situation."Thanks, Mugi." With that, Mio reached a new resolve. She knew what she needed to do.

* * *

**A/N**: Lolol I'm sooo sorry. I totally forgot to put in line dividers as some people have pointed out! My apologies. Lol cheesy drama plot too. Hope you enjoyed it anywway.

Please read and review! Thanks :)


End file.
